


Sephiroth - without Jenova cells

by goddamnitaisha



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen, mostly Sephiroth and Hojo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-26 03:37:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14991881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddamnitaisha/pseuds/goddamnitaisha
Summary: Tumblr anon: "What happens if Sephiroth's Jenova cells would die?", and my answer became a story on how Sephiroth manages. He moves to Banora, he loses friends, but Professor Hojo is always by his side.Written mostly for my artist friend Crimson-Sun as ideal reader.





	Sephiroth - without Jenova cells

### Ask: What if, instead of degrading and his cells aging and dying, the Jenova cells became dormant (if that's even possible.) What if instead his hair began to turn black?

 

 **Answer:** Have you ever heard about a circus/zoo tiger being released in the wild going bad? I’ve been told it could starve because it doesn’t know how to hunt properly. It has become too dependant on humans to function properly on its own. 

Depending on the rapidness of the Jenova cells becoming dormant, Sephiroth could either ‘ease’ into becoming more human, or get VERY weak very quickly. After all, it’s the non-dominant human cells in his body which are suddenly supposed to take charge of the functioning of everything. 

After a period of (near death) weakness, possible coma, possible hair loss, and mako-energy infusion to keep him alive, Sephiroth will wake up. 

He’ll be weaker than ever before, 

….and more of an  _outsider_   than ever before.

For a while people may remain at his side, but one by one they’ll start to drop him in favour of Genesis or Angeal. Midway the rehabilitation period…he’ll have no friends or colleagues. Even those who might visit will cease to have time, after all, he’s no longer the SOLDIER General.

But rehabilitation takes too long. The prognosis states that  _if_ Sephiroth continues to live, he will not be able to regain his powers. He’ll be human - and immune to mako injections. 

Shin-Ra will label him  _failed experiment_. The staff in charge of propaganda will either set up a ‘heroic’ fake accidental death for the citizens of the world. They’ll call the accident a tragedy, and there will be a week-long memorial of “Shin-Ra’s Greatest Hero” in the papers, on the telly, magazines, etcetera…. during which the Sephiroth-merchandise sells even better. There will be a memorial during which The President and then ‘closest friend’ Rufus Shinra speak of Sephiroth’s heroic deeds.

Sephiroth will be laying in a hospital bed, head on the pillow. He watches the screen of the television at a 90 degrees angle because he’s not strong enough to turn the television on it’s side. He’s not strong enough to get out of bed, or strong enough to grab the remote to switch of the television. The last has to do with with his ego, because he keeps hoping someone in the crowd will shout  _Sephiroth lives!_  

But no one speaks up and he tosses over to stare at the ceiling while he listens to the sobs of thousand fans. The light of the television casts colours on the ceiling and when a bone-thin-from-stress Professor Hojo walks in he closes his eyes to pretend he’s asleep . 

There will be a memorial statue of him, at which people will place flowers. 

Sephiroth’s too old to be shipped off to a foster family in Banora, so instead of a foster family, he gets a house. Head Scientist Professor Hojo’s reputation gained a big dent, because Genesis and Angeal still function. Doctor Hollander becomes director of the Science Department.   
Sephiroth is shipped off to Banora where the  _rejects_  go. Much to his dismay (though he sees the necessity), Professor Hojo joins him. 

Rehabilitation at a Banoran farm house. The neighbourhood is kind because the ‘charming poor old man’ with his ‘poor ill boy that never goes outside’ are slightly richer than average and boost the local economy. And  _yes,_ _they do look familiar, don’t they? Yet I can’t tell where I’ve seen their faces before._

There are two local nurses that help the old Professor move Sephiroth around when the ex-General doesn’t have the strength to go to the bathroom himself. 

The Professor helps him sit up, move his knees, learn to walk again. Those are short distances at first, to the table and back to the bed, then to the bench outside and back to the bed. 

The lady next door, twenty years younger, finds Hojo absolutely  _charming,_  and is glad to help the laundry. When the woman gets too close, Sephiroth glares at her, or starts moaning painfully. It always works.

Things get better. At early walks, Sephiroth finally sees the places Angeal and Genesis talked about. The Banoran trees, the Round Rock, the cliffs, the strange animals that don’t really do harm.

…-until an orange hedgehog shoots his spikes and Sephiroth’s entire arm is covered in needles and he’s painfully reminded to how weak he is. 

He can’t wear leather because no one sells leather jackets. He must stay warm at all times -another stupid novelty- and often forgets his shirt, or always-too-short-jacket. The darling neighbour gives him a red scarf (to get on his good side) because “it goes with your eyes.”  
He smiles at her and requests if she can make it twice as long so he can wrap it around his shoulders too. 

At walks, in summer and winter, the long ends of the scarf flutter after him. 

The professor injects him with Mako on a regular basis, and they learn Sephiroth has grown immune to it; meaning he cannot become SOLDIER cadet either. He applies to become advisor, his application is denied. 

Sephiroth is violent.   
He has learnt to move around a little, but when rehabilitation takes long, or when he’s suddenly reminded of his humanity, he despairs. At first Hojo manages to keep Sephiroth in check, but that stops when the younger gets stronger.   
He breaks plates, furniture, and Hojo’s left arm. The last fracture is only an accident, not because Sephiroth intended to. They ‘make up’, the best way either understand that expression. Despite everything, the scientist remains by his side. 

When Angeal and Genesis are in town, Sephiroth isn’t told after a day after their arrival. He sits down on a fence and awaits them. The encounter is awkward and uncomfortable for all of them. The three of them pluck apples. Angeal and Genesis race to fill their cards, becoming blurs, and Sephiroth has trouble filling his basket to save his pride. Angeal stiffens every time their eyes eyes meet, but Genesis is welcoming and kind - if not slightly self-satisfied. When Sephiroth calls him out on it, Angeal puts a hand on Genesis’ arm and asks kindly if Sephiroth is perhaps a little tired. 

Apparently the Great Red General doesn’t hug, which is fine, because Sephiroth’s not fond of hugging anyway. Too much physical contact.

When Sephiroth learns to go to stores on his own, he sees they no longer sell silver shampoo he’d been  _begging_ Hojo for when they first moved to Banora. He picks the Puppy Power Ultra Black instead.  _They got rid of the_ _fragrances, they have a new scent,_ Professor Hojo said a long time ago.   
The Puppy Power smells oddly like the ‘new formula Sephiroth-shampoo’ and at the checkout he wonders for how long the Professor has been re-filling the same silver bottle.

That was a small break of trust, but enough to make him realize he doesn’t want to live together with him any longer. He becomes less dependant. He moves to Junon, the Professor moves next door - again, much to his dismay.

His diplomas in biochemistry, physics, and history (among others) allow him to get a part-time job as a scientist at the various hazardous mako reactors: he’s immune anyway.

When facing AVALANCHE, he learns he’s quite good with a gun. A day later he sends an application to the Turks, but they deny him, possibly due the fresh wound in his tummy. His inability to cope with his own bodily slowness, and his skills of human interaction didn’t help him quality either. 

But Professor Hojo will cook noodles tonight so not everything’s bad.


End file.
